Streamlined Podcaster: Save Time Podcasting with Systems and Automation

Today I want to talk to you about DAI, or Dynamic Ad Insertion. DAI is a way for you to automatically insert ads (or any audio clip) into your already produced podcast episodes. There are lots of services that allow this, like Transistor and Buzzsprout, which makes it super easy. The way it works is this: You upload your episodes You upload the audio clip you want dynamically inserted You mark whe...

There’s a myth that if you do something for 21 days, it becomes a habit. I say it’s a myth because it’s been debunked . Several times . The truth is, no matter how long a habit takes you to form, the more complicated it is, the more easily broken it is. So producing a podcast is likely not a habit you’re forming. It’s work you’re doing, as efficiently as possible, without sacrificing content. But...

In an episode of the now-retired show Podcast Pontifications, Evo Terra drops a truth bomb for all the “record to tape” or “record and release” podcasters: But if you look at the larger universe of podcasting, which is now millions of podcasts strong, you’ll see that podcast listeners are voting for the kinds of shows that take more time and care than can be put into a linear record and release st...

Does anyone know you so well, they can describe you in a single sentence? When I was at Craft + Commerce, Mike Pacchione gave some great advice for when you tell stories: When describing someone, use a single sentence that instantly tells the listener who they are. Here’s an example: My dad always told people, “Joe would argue with Jesus Christ if he came off the cross.” You probably think I’m…opi...

One way to grow your podcast audience is to leverage the audience you have on other platforms. Short-form video can be a particularly effective medium here because many of those platforms, like TikTok, prioritize discovery over followers. So here's what you do: 1) Record a short-form video (vertical, 60 seconds long), taking about one thing from a recent podcast interview or episode. I try to do t...

One low barrier for entry these days is asking for donations from listeners. It likely won’t be a huge money maker at first, but it’s an easier sell than a membership. When a listener really enjoys your content, they can send you a few bucks. So what are some platforms that make it as easy as possible for listeners to donate? Here are three: Buy Me a Coffee : Popular among podcasters, Buy Me A Cof...

The #1 question potential listeners will ask when they find your podcast is, "What's in it for me." Optimize for that question and that experience and you will get more listeners. This was the crux of what we covered when Hollie Arnett hired me for a podcast audit of her show, Brand Your Podcast . In this episode we'll cover the Top 8 takeaways from that audit, as well as what Hollie should do nex...

Something that many new podcasters are resistant to is transcripts, and it’s perfectly understandable why. The free/cheap AI-generated ends up taking more work because they aren’t super accurate, and human-written ones cost a lot of money that many podcasters feel they don’t have. But if you want to grow your podcast, you need transcripts. And let's be honest: the AI-generated transcripts are WAY...

We’ve all had the experience of an over-eager salesperson. The moment they see you, you're marked as a potential sale and you’re immediately asked if you want to buy whatever they’re selling. And even if you walked into the store, expressing some level of interest, it still feels icky. That's kind of what it feels like when you open your podcast with a CTA. -- About Streamlined Podcaster: This is...

People love bonus content. They love a look behind the scenes. And they love exclusivity. For these reasons, and plenty more, private podcasting is a great way to make money. But what is a private podcast? Put in the clearest terms, a private podcast is one that only certain people can access. Maybe they are students in a class, employees at a company, or members of club. Use Cases With a private...

A few emails ago I told you to stop putting episode numbers in titles because it doesn't entice listeners. It doesn't give them any information about the episode. The same thing goes with starting your descriptions with, "In this episode..." I understand why you'd want to use it, but people looking at podcasts will already know this is an episode. "In this episode" takes up precious space in searc...

It feels fitting that Justin Jackson and Jon Buda referenced 37signals in their very first episode of Build Your SaaS because they were “eating their own dog food,” or “dogfooding” their product. They were launching a podcast about building a podcast hosting company, which they were using to host their podcast. What does this have to do with 37signals? They are perhaps the best example of dogfoodi...

Don't you love a good peek behind the curtain? I do. It helps me get a concrete look at how to do things, and by extension, how I can do things. That's why you should do a Behind the Scenes episode . Show your listeners how you built a product, service, or process. Be detailed about it! It will prove that you think through your problems to find good solutions. This is another trust-builder. Bonus...

Imagine being told you need to get your wedding, and that’s it. No time. No date. No location. Just, “You need to get to your wedding.” You’d feel kind of stuck, right? Surely there are people who know that information. You’d think it would be part and parcel with, “You need to get to your wedding.” That’s kind of how it feels when someone tells you, “You need to automate.” What should you automat...

Some people don’t like talking about themselves all the time. And that’s perfectly fine. A great way to get content without making it self-centered is by highlighting someone else’s success. That’s why today’s episode is client/customer spotlights. Listeners love content they can relate to. If you can pick a customer or client and highlight how they’ve been able to improve using your product or se...

When it comes to Podcast sponsorship outreach, you likely will think you need a few weeks lead time. But you probably need a month or more. So today’s tip: Start way before you think you need to. Most brands/sponsors aren’t ready to drop money as soon as you email them, or even within the same week. And bigger brands might have a NET-30 or NET-60 payment schedule for invoices, meaning that money w...

Imagine creating not one, not two, but THREE versions of every podcast episode you produce. That’s what Jay Clouse does with Creator Science . See, last year he made the decision to make his podcast “YouTube-first,” which means focusing on video production, then mastering it for audio. If you produce a podcast, you already know that it’s time-consuming. While Christina Nicholson showed us it doesn...

Quite often, I see podcasters sharing their podcast episodes and they've titled something like: Episode 12: Jim Rodgers Would you click on this if you came across it on social media? Probably not. This doesn't tell you anything about what you'll learn in the episode. Even worse, this does nothing for SEO...most people aren't randomly Googling episode numbers. Stop putting the episode number in you...

Something that turns lots of people away from podcasting (both before and after starting) is how much time and work it takes. But you don't need long interview shows. In fact, there's a new type of podcast that's gaining popular: the mini podcast. Here's why starting a mini-podcast (or pivoting your current show that way) might be a good idea: They are usually less than 20 minutes They're generall...

I know it’s tempting. You fire up Zoom, hit record, and just release the combined audio into your podcast feed. That’s called record and release. Lots of podcasters do it. It even works for some people. But it won’t work for you . Here’s why. The podcasters doing this have likely already accumulated a big audience. Back when the best way to record a podcast was Skype and eCamm Call Recorder. Back...

When you launched your podcast, you likely knew to submit to Apple Podcasts. And that covers a good number of bases. Most small directories pull from Apple. But not all of them. Spotify, for example, does not. You need to submit to them separately. The same goes for Amazon. Plus there are lots of other niche directories you want to be in: Podcaster, GoodPods, and more. BuzzSprout has a good list h...

Have you ever wondered why something gets put on TV? I know I have. That’s what makes Christina Nicholson’s show, Become a Media Maven , so interesting from a content standpoint. From a process standpoint, the show has been around since 2018 and has evolved and adapted to the changing landscape. This has helped Christina keep the show relevant without adding a ton more work to her plate. It’s also...

Have you ever thought, "I don't have time to podcast," ? When I ask people what’s stopping them from launching or continuing their show, this is the number one concern I'm told. Podcasting is definitely time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to take up all your time! There are a few things you can do to clear time on your calendar: Start small . You don’t need a 2-hour podcast to start. One of the lo...

Do you want to know how I got my podcasts sponsored before launching? How I get big-name guests? How I get my show off the ground in the first place? It was my network. It was the relationships I formed by being a professional, trustworthy person. I suspect you have one too. It's important to leverage in, especially in the beginning. That's also why it's important to clearly define your show and w...

Podcasting, as you likely know by this point, is a TON of work. You need to launch, which is one project. But then you need to keep the show going. For every episode, you need to research, write/outline, record, edit, publish and promote. It's a TON of work, especially if you do it weekly. But what if you didn't have to do everything? I'm a big fan of automating and delegating work, which is why I...